It was Monday again, and the plea for recommendation tickets and monthly passes echoed out, hoping for generous support from everyone.

At the sound of Lu Chongming's call, Wang Guan happily walked over.

Dinner was indeed a lavish affair: chicken, duck, fish, shrimp—these were the main courses—supplemented by a light soup of tofu and cauliflower, and several plates of vibrant green vegetables.

The balance of rich and light fare made one’s appetite surge immediately.

“Come, don’t be shy, eat as much as you like.”

Lu Chongming’s cousin offered a warm invitation. The savory and delicious meat dishes, along with the sweet yet deeply mellow glutinous rice wine, were genuinely appetite-whetting.

As cups and chopsticks moved swiftly, the table soon became a battlefield of discarded dishes and empty cups.

After eating their fill, everyone returned to the main room to digest for a while. Then, Lu Chongming rose to take his leave.

His cousin made no move to keep them, as space in the house was limited, and there was no extra room to spare.

Since they were all family, there was no need for excessive formality; he merely asked Lu Chongming to visit often and then saw the two men out.

Following this, the pair drove directly back to the outskirts of Taicang, according to their original plan—to Elder Xi’s residence.

Having given advance notice, Elder Xi was not surprised by Wang Guan’s arrival; on the contrary, he showed a welcoming demeanor.

However, Wang Guan felt a touch of embarrassment: “I apologize for arriving at an inauspicious time and disturbing your esteemed leisure.”

By this hour, Elder Xi should have finished dinner. After returning from a stroll, he had spread paper in the backyard, dipped his brush in ink, and appeared to be practicing calligraphy.

But he stopped mid-stroke because of their arrival.

“It’s fine, continue writing,” Lu Chongming said with a smile, immediately helping to arrange the paper nearby and grinding the inkstone.

“Where did you stop?” Wang Guan was also somewhat curious and glanced over. He saw that Elder Xi was copying a line from Su Dongpo’s poem written on the wall of Xilin Temple: “Not knowing the true face of Mount Lu, merely because one is situated…” The writing ended at the character for “situated” ().

At the same time, Lu Chongming remarked with a smile, “Merely because one is situated at the very top.”

“Not knowing the true face of Mount Lu, merely because one is situated at the very top?” For a moment, Wang Guan felt something was amiss: “Doesn’t that sound like a jumbled phrase?” “Does it?” Lu Chongming looked bewildered. “It flows quite smoothly when read aloud.”

“‘Merely because one is situated at the very top’—that should be a line from Wang Anshi’s poem, right?”

At this moment, Wang Guan recalled it, smiling as he explained, “It’s supposed to be ‘Not fearing the floating clouds obscuring the eye’s view, merely because one is situated at the very top.’ It expresses his determination regarding reform policies. As for the true face of Mount Lu, that should be ‘Being within the mountain itself.’”

“Oh, I did mix them up,” Lu Chongming conceded, realizing his mistake instantly and quickly trying to smooth things over: “Master was writing the poem about looking at the ridge from the side and the peak from above.”

“It’s good that you know now,” Elder Xi chastised gently. “Read more in the future, lest you be laughed at.”

“Yes, yes…” Lu Chongming nodded repeatedly. Having made such a basic error made him feel a bit sheepish, and he began figuring out how to steer the conversation toward his actual purpose.

Suddenly, Wang Guan grabbed his wrist, asking with some excitement, “What did you just say?”

“What did I say?” Lu Chongming was momentarily stunned, completely lost as to what was going on.

“Just what you said a moment ago…”

“What did I say?” Due to the communication breakdown, the two were completely talking past each other, both baffled.

Elder Xi, observing from the side, had clearer insight and offered a direct hint: “He just said, ‘Looking at it from the side reveals a ridge, looking at it vertically reveals a peak.’ There shouldn't be anything wrong with that phrase, should there?”

“Looking at it from the side reveals a ridge, looking at it vertically reveals a peak…” In an instant, Wang Guan experienced a flash of inspiration, his face a mixture of delight and surprise: “That’s it. Maybe it is like that… No, it must be like that. Absolutely correct…”

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Wang Guan so flustered, Lu Chongming was naturally very surprised and concerned, asking quickly.

“Nothing, I’m fine; in fact, it’s good news,” Wang Guan said, composing himself before speaking seriously, “I think I might understand the meaning behind the carving on the stele in your village.”

“What?” Lu Chongming was completely taken aback. It took him a long moment to clear his head, then he quickly asked, “What do you mean by that? What is the meaning of the stele’s carving?”

“…Uh, I must state beforehand, this is just a guess. I won’t take responsibility if it’s wrong,” Wang Guan reminded him. “Haven’t you forgotten? You said it yourself: looking at it from the side reveals a ridge, looking at it vertically reveals a peak. When the stele was standing upright, the carving really did look like dragon scales. But what if it were placed on its side? Or rather, how do you know the stele was positioned upright in the first place?”

“Upright, on its side…” Lu Chongming considered this, and his expression shifted: “If it’s placed on its side, those scales look like rows and rows of mountains.”

“Exactly, perfectly right,” Wang Guan exclaimed, clapping his hands. “When I first saw the carving on the stele, I thought it was very strange. Why carve only simple lines on a perfectly good stone? It seems such a waste. Especially before dinner, when the stele was lying flat on the floor, watching it from my seated position, it felt even more wrong…”

“It wasn’t until just now that you gave me the reminder,” Wang Guan sighed, deeply impressed. “‘Looking at it from the side reveals a ridge, looking at it vertically reveals a peak.’ Observing from different angles yields different results. What appears to be lines resembling dragon scales might actually be outlining mountain shapes.”

“Right, mountains, it must be mountains,” Lu Chongming mused, feeling the possibility grow stronger the more he thought about it. “Let’s go back and take a look.”

“Okay…” Wang Guan agreed, then hesitated, “But isn’t it a bit late?”

Lu Chongming looked up and saw that the night sky was now filled with starlight, with a crescent moon hanging beside it. A cool night breeze stirred, carrying a chill, suggesting that late autumn was nearing its end and winter was setting in more deeply.

“It’s fine, it’s only half an hour’s drive, we’ll be quick.” Lu Chongming was decisive, but Elder Xi intervened.

“There’s no need to rush everything. Going tomorrow won’t be too late.” Elder Xi was very composed and also curious. “By the way, what were you two discussing? What stele? Is it that Dragon Stele from Ah Ming’s village?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” Lu Chongming nodded quickly. “Legend says it was left by the founding ancestor. It was stolen some time ago, but I happened to encounter it in an antique shop in Shanghai and brought it back. But I never expected the carving on the stele to have another meaning…”

“It’s only a possibility,” Wang Guan cautioned again. “Perhaps it’s just my illusion.”

“It’s not an illusion,” Lu Chongming was more confident than Wang Guan. “Feibai once said your intuition is highly accurate; I trust you. Besides, I was caught up in the situation before and didn't think deeply. Now I’ve woken up. A stele like that wouldn’t just be set up randomly; there must have been a reason for it to stand for hundreds of years without falling…”

“Mmm, or maybe it did fall once, and then it was set up on its side, making the carving look like dragon scales, which led people to force the legend of painting the dragon and dotting the eyes.” As he spoke, Lu Chongming was certain: “In any case, I feel it’s necessary to re-examine the carving on the stele. If the carving is indeed a depiction of mountain peaks, what meaning does that represent?”

“Stop thinking so much; we’ll see tomorrow,” Wang Guan said.

However, Wang Guan abruptly changed the subject: “If you are impatient and can’t wait, I might be able to help.” As he spoke, Wang Guan took out his mobile phone and opened his photo storage, then smiled, “I almost forgot, I think I took pictures…”

“Seriously?” Lu Chongming hurried to look. Indeed, there were two photographs saved on Wang Guan’s phone. By slightly adjusting the angle, the carving on the stele could be clearly seen. However, the phone screen was a bit small, making it hard to see clearly. It wasn't until the photos were uploaded to the computer that everything became distinct. When the photos were held upright, the semicircular, overlapping lines did resemble layers of dragon scales. But when the photos were turned sideways, they looked like overlapping waves, even more like rows of mountain peaks. Observing closely, one could also find with surprise that these lines seemed to follow a certain pattern. Yet, for the moment, none of them could figure out the exact meaning.

“Is this the terrain of some specific place?” Lu Chongming frowned. “Or perhaps some kind of map.”

“I don’t know; we need to study it further…” As he spoke, Wang Guan was about to look closer when his phone suddenly rang. Seeing the caller ID, he seemed a bit surprised, then thoughtful, with a hint of understanding about why the person was calling. With his thoughts turning, Wang Guan quickly answered, “Hello, Elder Duan, it’s me…”

“What’s going on with the ‘Confucius Sacred Sites Chart’?” As expected, Elder Duan asked immediately, clearly having seen the news today and knowing about the exhibition at the Shanghai Museum, which raised his suspicions about the provenance of the newly surfaced chart.

“It’s the work of Wu Zongyuan,” Wang Guan played dumb. “The spirit and form are perfectly captured; it must be authentic.”

“Who asked if it’s authentic? I want to know where the item came from,” Elder Duan lowered his voice slightly. “Was it discovered in Kongjia Village?”

“Ahem…” Wang Guan evaded the question. As his gaze wandered, a thought suddenly struck him, and he quickly said, “Elder Duan, are you free right now? Could you help me look at something?”

“Look at what?” Elder Duan was indeed distracted.

“I’ve uploaded it to my email. I’ll give you the account and password. Ask someone to help you open it and take a look…” Wang Guan explained his request while operating his phone, successfully diverting Elder Duan’s original intention. After getting the account details, Elder Duan found someone to help log in online, download the photos, and view them.

Meanwhile, Lu Chongming asked curiously, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing much. I just suddenly thought these mountain formations look a bit like a Feng Shui layout, so I’m asking an expert for advice,” Wang Guan smiled. “It’s a direction for research, after all…”

“Feng Shui layout?” Lu Chongming paused slightly. “Really?”

“I don’t know, that’s why I’m asking someone to inquire,” Wang Guan spread his hands and then continued to examine the carving.

About twenty minutes later, Elder Duan called back. Wang Guan answered eagerly, feeling a bit of anticipation: “Elder Duan, how was it? Did you see anything unusual?”

“Nonsense. How could I not recognize such an obvious topographical feature?” As he spoke, Elder Duan sounded surprised too. “Didn’t you say you didn’t believe in this stuff? Why are you studying it now?” 〖Book Site ∷ Fast Updates ∷ No Pop-ups ∷ Pure Text ∷ www.〗